The Cherokee Night: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Cherokee Night: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the lives and complexities of key figures within a Cherokee community facing cultural disintegration and the struggles of identity. The character Viney Jones, a frontier schoolteacher, embodies the conflict of a younger generation that has assimilated into white society, leading to a rejection of her Cherokee heritage. In stark contrast, Bee Newcomb represents physical and moral decline, illustrating the darker consequences of cultural disconnection. Art Osburn's violent actions reflect the desperation stemming from his tumultuous experiences within a dominant society that is often unforgiving.
Old Man Talbert stands as a poignant reminder of the Cherokee past, seeking dignity through the relics of his culture, while Sarah Pickard, Viney’s sister, remains entrenched in traditional ways, leading to a life marked by poverty and hardship. Kate Whiteturkey, meanwhile, represents a conflicted embrace of materialism, denying her heritage in favor of a superficial status. John Gray-Wolf emerges as a symbol of integrity amidst the turmoil, representing the last vestiges of true Cherokee identity. Finally, Edgar "Spench" Breeden embodies the chaotic elements of the community, showcasing the destructive impact of a life lived in defiance of both cultural and societal norms. This character analysis invites readers to explore themes of identity, heritage, and the consequences of cultural erosion within the Cherokee experience.
The Cherokee Night: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Lynn Riggs
First published: 1936
Genre: Play
Locale: Oklahoma
Plot: Social realism
Time: 1895–1931
Viney Jones (later Viney Clepper), a frontier schoolteacher. Given to crudity and ruthlessness, Viney herself is the product of education by whites. She is trained sufficiently to become a teacher of children herself. She resents her Cherokee heritage and eventually abandons it and moves to town, presumably married to a white man. She returns to Claremore Mound to visit her sister, Sarah, who is living in poverty, not so much to help her but to be arrogant in her treatment of her. Viney represents the Cherokees of the younger generation who have given themselves to the materialism and education of the dominant society.
Bee Newcomb, another part-breed Cherokee. As a whore, then a prostitute, Bee represents the physical and sexual decline of the Cherokee. Her worst act, however, is not having sex with clients or even with her half brother Gar; it is tricking Art Osburn, a fellow part-breed, into confessing a murder. This deceit for money is far more damning than having sex for money.
Art Osburn, who murders his wife. Art responds to the controls of the white society with violence. Having married a white woman with children, he finds that he cannot continue life with her because of her ways. When he confesses to the murder, he becomes a victim.
Old Man Talbert, a collector of arrowheads and one of the last remaining true Cherokees. Talbert, who is first thought to be a grave robber, turns out to be searching for something that will revive the dignity of his parents' way of life. Instead, he finds only relics that the younger Cherokees look at with disdain.
Sarah Pickard, Viney's sister. Sarah's qualities as a character are essentially defined by her poverty. Too proud to leave the Indian lands and accommodate a white lifestyle, Sarah remains in the old ways and thus is ridden with poverty and disease. Although morally superior to her sister, she is stubborn to the extent that she is not admirable.
Kate Whiteturkey, an eighteen-year-old Osage Indian woman who is married to Hutch Moree. As owner of three Studebaker cars, Kate has acquired some of the luxury material goods offered by white society. She denies her Indian heritage to herself and to other Indians. She finds meaning in life by boasting that her husband has ten silk shirts and six pairs of cowboy boots.
John Gray-Wolf, one of the last true Cherokees. Gray-Wolf does not appear in the play until the last scene, set in 1895. He is the only character with both integrity and Indian heritage, and he will soon die. He is a remnant of all that was but that is now lost.
Edgar “Spench” Breeden, the father of Gar Breeden and Bee Newcomb. Spench is one of the more flagrant degenerates in the cast. He would steal and kill; moreover, he has fathered children by two women at the same time, only to desert both women. He dies after being chased by white men seeking to punish him for his misconduct.